This invention relates to wall construction and more particularly to a wall assembly utilizing a double wall construction and associated insulative materials to present a wall assembly highly resistant to air infiltration and thermal flow therethrough.
In conventional wall construction, 2.times.4 or 2.times.6 studs are placed on 16 inch centers with the exterior wall sheathing nailed directly to the exterior faces of the studs to present a plurality of side-by-side stud cavities therebetween. Prior to nailing the interior wall board to the interior faces of the studs, insulative material is placed within the stud cavities to resist passage of thermal flow therethrough. The effectiveness of this resistance is conventionally referred to as the "R" value of the insulation.
Insulation in the form of fiberglass batts or a spray applied foam can be inserted between the studs to fill these stud cavities. The foam-type insulation offers a greater R-value per inch of material than that offered by conventional fiberglass batt insulation. Moreover the cured foam hugs the studs to preclude the appearace of cracks or crevices therebetween. The cured-foam may break away from the studs and present undesirable cracks and/or crevices which allow for undesired thermal infiltration therethrough. These cracks/crevices offer a path of lesser resistance to thermal flow between the exterior and interior walls of the wall assembly which degrades the R-value of the overall wall construction. Also, as the interior and exterior walls are nailed directly to the opposed stud faces a path of thermal flow between the interior and exterior walls via the interposed studs is presented. This path offers a lesser resistance to thermal air flow than that offered by the insulated stud cavities.
In response thereto, I have invented a wall construction utilizing the first and second rows of laterally spaced-apart and longitudinally offset studs for supporting a first foam-type and second batt-type insulation materials. The exterior wall sheathing is nailed to the first row of studs with the interior wall nailed to the face of the spatially displaced second row of studs. Subsequent to the affixation of the exterior sheathing to the first row of studs a polyurethane foam is sprayed into the stud cavities formed by the exterior wall sheathing and first row of studs. The foam overlaps the studs to present an uninterrupted sheet of cured form extending among the stud cavities and interposed between the first and second rows of studs so as to isolate the same. Fiberglass batt insulation is then placed between the studs of the second row with a vapor barrier and conventional interior wall sheathing then applied to the faces of the second row of studs.
The use of first and second rows of studs interrupts the extension of the studs between the exterior and interior walls and any accompanying thermal flow therethrough. The continuous, serpentine polyurethane sheet presents an air impervious barrier with the overlapping portions between the stud cavities transversely blocking any thermal flow through cracks or crevices presented upon separation of the cured foam from the studs. Finally the use of the fiberglass batts cost-effectively enhances the R-value of the wall construction. Accordingly, a wall assembly generally impervious to air infiltration and having an R-value approximating 30 is presented.
It is therefore a general object of this invention to provide a wall assembly offering a high degree of resistance to air infiltration and thermal flow therethrough.
Another object of this invention is to provide a wall assembly, as aforesaid, utilizing longitudinally and laterally offset first and second rows of wall-supporting studs for insertion of selected insulating materials therebetween.
A further object of this invention is to provide a wall assembly, as aforesaid, utilizing first and second severally insulated wall sections cooperating to present a jointly insulated wall.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a wall assembly, as aforesaid, utilizing an uninterrupted, spray-applied, insulative foam in one of the wall sections.
Another object of this invention is to provide a wall assembly, as aforesaid, which diminishes the effect of separation of the insulative material from the supporting studs.
A more particular object of this invention is to provide a wall assembly, as aforesaid, which interrupts the thermal flow between the interior and exterior walls via the supporting studs.
Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein is set forth by way of illustration and example, and embodiment of this invention.